Tuesday, October 30, 2012

(update-posted February 21, 2013)
Pitch Canker Survey Trainning
REMINDER: 
Pitch Canker Training session has been scheduled on FEBRUARY 25, 2013 (MONDAY) at 12:00 noon (instead of 10:00 AM) at Asilomar State Beach (Park Office).  Anyone interested in taking this training is welcome.  Lunch is provided. 
 
==================================
 
(posted February 11, 2013)
 


2013 Pitch Canker Infestation Survey Training
We cordially welcome you who are interested in participating in a training session on the data collection of 2013 pitch canker infestation at Asilomar State Park.  The training will be held on Monday (February 25, 2013) at 10:00 am.  The gathering point is at the Asilomar State Park Office on Crocker Street, Pacific Grove, CA.
Those who would like to participate in this training must register with Dr. Win (831-449-1182/winpitchcankerstudies@Ymail.com) in advance:
Name:
Affiliation:
Contact phone/Cell number:
E-mail address:


oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
 
(posted February 6, 2013)
REVISED PROJECT CONCEPTUAL DESIGN
 
A report on watershed for the CSUMB intern student is not required by USDA/WRI that the process for development of a watershed report and a plan has been removed.  (See the following diagram.)   A local foresters forum was completed.  Input from the foresters have been incorporated into the updated data collection sheet.  Template for restoration data collection has been developed.  A Tree Locater Mapbook has been developed.  A training for data collection would be held soon, and we are ready to launch a full-blown  2013 pitch canker infestation survey and a Monterey pine restoration activity sites survey.
 


 
 
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  (posted December 16, 2012) 

PITCH CANKER  INFESTATION Information in DVDs  
 
Taught by Cal Department of Forestry and University of California scients, a training on educational information about Pitch canker was taken place at Pacific Grove Natural Museum, and a hands-on ground training was held at heavily (pitch canker) infested Monterey pines at Asilomar State Park in 2000.   Per kind favor of Mr. Robert Olson of Monteey, all these activities were videographed and donated to Monterey County Ag Commissioner's Office for educational purpose.  Now they are obtained in  one DVD.  
 
Another videotaping on the entire presentations of pitch canker infestation at the 2001 Pitch Canker Conference was done by Mr. Olson who donated to the Monterey County Ag Commissioner's Office for ecucational use.  They are now obtained in a set of two DVDs.
 
All these DVDs can be copied for your educational use with no charges.  A set of 'pitch canker DVDs' can be accessed for your copying at Bob Roach of Monterey County Ag Comm Office (831-759-7379); Cyndi Dawson of Asilomar State Park (831-646-6444); or Dr. Win (831-449-1182).    
 

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(posted December 9, 2012)
A quick look at sample images of vegetations at Asilomar State Park in 1999 vs. 2012 for comparison
 The trees look thinner
 An example site of Circle in front of the Hall
Trees have now looked heavy, but accually the dead trees were removed and replaced with Cypress.
 
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(posted: November 13, 2012)
Those who would like to be informed about forthcoming pitch canker meetings and other updates  should email to winuwin369@yahoo.com with your name, phone number and email address.  Attempts have been made to reach via the email addresses and phone numbers obtained at the '2001 pitch canker conference' have been failed because people have moved on with their lives in more than one decade. 
 
We welcome all of you who are interested in pitch canker in Monterey Penninsula.
 
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A Decade of Differences: Pitch Canker Infestation at Asilomar Forest (2002-2012)

(Posted November 4, 2012)
 
 
 
 
Pitch canker did not kill all the pines as was feared by some, so what happened? There have been anecdotal reports of recovery of the infested trees.  How many trees recovered and is there any correlation to the level of infestation at the time of the initial survey?  Is there new recruitment?  What is the current impact?   Are there indications of resistance development in the population?  As far as we know, nobody is looking at this yet.
The data collected in 1999 – 2001 by the joint efforts of the Monterey County Agriculture Commissioner’s Office and the CSUMB – SIVA Center have been useful for the California State Park Natural Resources Managers to track Pitch Canker infected trees throughout Asilomar State Beach and Conference Grounds.  Having all trees tagged and graphically mapped has made management of this Monterey Pine Forest more efficient and productive.  It was hoped that this effort can be replicated in the near future.
Well, this is just about the time now: 


















 
Starting November 5, 2012 (Monday), those who had attended '2001 Pitch Canker Conference' held on the CSUMB campus will be contacted, and the contact info (phone numbers and email addresses) will be updated for a network. 
 
---------------------------
  (posted October 30, 2012)
Pitch Canker Infestation:
A Case Study of Asilomar Forest

  

U Win, Ph.D., (former) Research Associate
CSUMB- Spatial Information Visualization & Analysis (SIVA) Resources Center, CA
(May 17, 2004)
 
Abstract
 


In collaboration the California Department of Parks and Recreation, the Spatial Information, isualization and Analysis (SIVA) Center of the CSUMB has chosen the forested portion of Asilomar State Beach & Conference Grounds (Asilomar State Park) as the first training site to study the spread of pitch canker infestation of native Monterey pines. The first sighting of pitch canker infestation in Asilomar State Park (ASP) was on three trees near the administration building in 1992. Pitch canker infection has been considered as the primary cause for the declining vigor and high mortality of Monterey pines in the recent years.

After special training sessions on the identification of pitch canker infection were held in May and November of 2000, the data collection effort at the Asilomar State Park was launched. Nearly a dozen volunteers were involved in the data collection. Ground survey data collection was completed in February 2001. Using a Global Positioning System (GPS) device with a laser rangefinder, the CSUMB-SIVA staff and students recorded over 3,000 locations of Monterey Pines, and tree stumps in the Park. The GPSing was completed in June 2001. Using the ground information and GPS locations of the 1,414 study trees, SIVA analyzed the spatial distribution of Monterey pines by the severity level of pitch canker infestation. The results indicated that 16% of the study trees were dead; 46% severely infected; 25% moderately infected; and 12% in initial stages of infection. Only 1.6% of the trees sampled were identified as healthy trees.

 
SIVA’s analysis included the identification of “Hot Spots”, and testing of hypotheses introduced by local foresters (Ono, et al., 2001), such as the severity level of pitch canker infestation is higher along the areas in the proximity to major roads, power-lines, the ocean, and buildings.
 

This study was funded by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF contract #000921-A ) under the provision of State Senate Bill 1712, as a part of CSUMB-SIVA and Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office’s joint effort in developing and implementing a pitch canker infestation monitoring, education and outreach program in Monterey County.
 
  
Introduction
 
Utilizing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing technologies, the Spatial Information, Visualization and Analysis (SIVA) Center of the California State University at Monterey Bay (CSUMB) has been conducting research and mapping of the spread of pitch canker infestation of native Monterey pines (Pinus radiata) and Bishop pines (P. muricata) in Monterey County. In collaboration with the California Department of Parks and Recreation, the Asilomar State Beach & Conference Grounds (Asilomar State Park) was chosen as the first training (pilot study) site to collect information about pitch canker infestation.
 
 Historical Background of Asilomar State Park
 
The Asilomar forest coincides with the conference grounds portion of the Asilomar State Park (ASP), formally known as the Asilomar State Beach & Conference Grounds (ASBCG), which is located in the City of Pacific Grove on the Monterey Peninsula, California. The area of Asilomar forest is approximately 58 acres, however, it is fragmented by the conference grounds facilities, which comprises 58 buildings, paved access roads, fences and walkways (Jones & Stokes, 1998).
 
According to the early historical records, the Monterey Peninsula was forested with oaks and Monterey pines, but it became deforested as the population in the Peninsula grew, and the demand for lumber and firewood increased. The present site of ASBCG was regularly logged until the late-1800s when the demand for wood products decreased. The present site of ASBCG was owned by the Pacific Improvement Company (now the Pebble Beach Company). In 1913, the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) purchased the 30 acres of present ASBCG site for the construction of a YWCA camp.  An additional 30 acres were purchased again in the 1930s. The YWCA property was sold to the State in 1950s. The State added another 35 acres of beachfront land, and dedicated the beach and the conference grounds as a unit of the California State Park system. During the 1970’s the State acquired ten privately owned lots to the east of the original unit. Since 1984, approximately 1,500 Monterey pines were planted in supplementing of natural regeneration of the pines (Jones & Stokes, 1994).
 
Study Area
 
For the purpose of spatial distribution analysis, the study area is limited to the area where the Monterey Pine forest is located within the property of Asilomar State Beach & Conference Grounds (Figure 1). The areal extent of the study area is 54 acres.
 
 
Natural Setting of Asilomar State Park
 
A maritime Mediterranean climate influences this study area. Extreme temperatures are are. Mild, moist winters and moderately warm, dry summers are common. The average annual rainfall is approximately 19 inches. The wet season generally extends November through March. Occurrence of fog extends throughout dry summer months. Westerly winds prevail during spring and summer, and winter winds are usually southerly.  Southerly gusts preceding winter storms are also common.
 
Topography of the study area (the forested ground of ASBCG) varies. The northeast portion of the forest is approximately 100 feet (above sea level) high while the western boundary is 40 feet in elevation. The northern portion is hilly but the southern portion is level. According to Jones & Stokes Associates (1994), the Marine Terraces, a type of geomorphologic surface of the Monterey Peninsula, is found along the western boundary.  Two types of dunes were identified in the study area. The ‘Youngest Dunes’ type is found well preserved or restored in the study area. There are also dunes in a transition from youngest to the oldest dunes in the study area. There are four different types of soils identified in the study area. Old Monterey pines trees which are twisted and scraggy from wind and salt, are found at the inland edge of the ‘Dune Land Series‘. The ‘Baywood Soil Series’ are located along the western boundary of the study area. This type of soil is found on the gently sloping, stabilized dune land. The ‘Tangair Series Soils’ in the study area supports multistoried Monterey pine forest with coast live oak.  ‘Narlon Soil Series’ are identified in most of the forest throughout the conference ground.  This soil type supports Monterey pine forest.
 
The Monterey Pine Forest
 
The Monterey pine forest habitat type is identified throughout the study area. The Monterey pine stands are mostly in closed canopy forest supported by stabilized sand dunes. Jones & Stokes (1998) estimated that the Asilomar Forest contains approximately 100,000 cubic feet of wood in 2,897 trees, mainly Monterey pines (85%), and coast live oaks (14%). Jones & Stokes also documented that the study area forest is in an advanced and rapid state of decline. The decline is caused in part by the advanced age of most of the trees, mechanical damage, and stress associated with root disturbances. However, pitch canker infection has been the primary cause for the declining vigor and high mortality of Monterey pines in the recent years. Previous studies estimated the mortality rate of Monterey pines at 13% over last 10 years. Figure 2, a mapping effort made by the CSUMB-SIVA, shows the dispersion of major tree species located in ASP.
 

Pitch Canker
 
Pitch canker is a fungal disease caused by Fusarium circinatum . At the initial stage, the pitch canker fungus usually attacks the branch tips causing ‘drooping’, and dieback. The tip dies first, then the needles on the branch turn yellow and brown, then die. White spittle foams can be found on the branches with green needles tips and dieback. The foam is produced by the spittle bug (Aphrophora canadensis). The feeding activities of this insect may be associated with the infection of the branch tip by the pitch canker fungus. Dead brown branches in the tree canopy can be clearly visible as ‘flagging’. As a result of the fungus infection, resinous cankers release sap which flows down the tree trunks and limbs. Cankers can sometimes be found on the roots. It is important to note that pitch canker alone almost never kills the pines. A number of species of bark beetle and other insect predators (altogether 56 species of insects) are known to be the agents making the kill of pitch canker infected and injured trees. However, the disease can be spread by airborne spores, seeds, contaminated tree care tools, machinery, and human actions such as moving logs, wood chips and greenwaste from contaminated areas to uncontaminated uninfected areas. So far, there is no cure for pitch canker infestation.
 
Pitch Canker Infestation in the Asilomar State Park.  In 1986, the cause for a large-scale sickness of Monterey pines in the Santa Cruz County was confirmed as pitch canker infestation. Four trees in the Marina Warf area in the City of Monterey were confirmed as pitch canker infected trees in 1986 (Reid pers. comm.).  In Asilomar State Park, the first sighting of pitch canker infestation was on three trees near the administration building in 1992. By 1994, the pitch canker infestation had spread to over 200 trees (4% of total). The 1997 surveys conducted by the ASP showed 72% of the forest (more than 2,800 trees) was infected by pitch canker. Smith & Associates (1994) observed that the highest incidence of pitch canker occurred in the most highly developed areas. They also hypothesized that the pitch canker infection may be associated with proximity to the ocean (salt spray and high winds), forest fragmentation, and construction activities.
 
Previous Mapping Efforts
 
In 1994, Jones & Stokes conducted mapping of major vegetation communities in the Peninsula area. Monterey pines were identified in greater details. According to Jones and Stokes, 1:24,000 scale false color infrared aerial photographs were used in mapping land covers. The study focused on “Monterey pines in suburban developments (lots less than one acre)”.
 
In the early 1990’s, the DP&R hired a consulting firm and established a tree identity tagging system throughout the park. Tree tags were placed at the northern side of the trunks close to the ground. The locations (latitude/longitude) of trees were also recorded by GPS. Unfortunately, all the GPS data taken at that time is missing. The local ranger station has maintained hard-copy scratch maps of trees with their ID numbers. SIVA used these maps for reference in locating trees.
 
Study Objectives
 
Due to the limitation of funds available, instead of attempting to map the originally intended project area of the entire Monterey County, SIVA has redefined the project area as the Monterey Peninsula area where native Monterey pines are located. SIVA has also selected ‘training sites’ including the Asilomar State Park, City of Carmel-by-the-Sea, Via Paraiso Park in Monterey, and Point Lobos State Reserve. Asilomar State Park was chosen as the first ‘training’ site for studying the distribution and spread of pitch canker infestation because of the commitment made by the staff members of Asilomar State Park to help and support the effort. Additionally, the Park has already established a tree identification (tagging) system that made the data collection effort much easier.  The first objective of the study was to map the spatial distribution of Monterey pines by the severity level of pitch canker infestation. The second objective was to test the hypotheses introduced by local foresters (Ono, et al. 2001) that the severity level of pitch canker infestation is higher along the areas in the proximity to major roads, power-lines, and the ocean.
 
Methodology and Analysis
 
Ground Survey Data Collection
 
The intent of data collection in Asilomar State Park was to first locate all Monterey pines including pines that had been removed (stumps), dead pines, and live pines, and then to collect data on the health status of each Monterey pine. It was estimated that the total number of trees could be about 3,000. Because the time frame available for data collection was about a month, a process on recruitment of volunteers began in the summer of 2000, and immediately followed up with a special training session on the identification of pitch canker infection on May 31, 2000. Drs. David Adam and Don Owen of CDF taught the volunteer field crew about the symptoms of pitch canker infection, and pitch canker look-alikes. Additional training on rating of the level of severity was given by Dr. Andrew Storer of UC Berkeley on October 31, 2000. On November 27, 2000, after Dr. Andrew Storer gave a hands-on training at the site, the data collection effort at the Asilomar State Park was launched.
 
A total of 10 volunteers were involved in the data collection. Assisted by Jeff Frey who was a biologist at Asilomar State Part at that time, SIVA developed a data collection sheet. The data collection sheet includes summary instructions on how to define species, age, pitch canker related observations, level of severity and ground cover. The volunteers also issued new ID tags where old ID tags were missing. Park biologists Jeff Frey and Lorrie Madison assisted the volunteers in maintaining accuracy and consistency of data collection. Because of the holidays in December, the data collection effort was extended to January 2001. The volunteers spent nearly 200 hours collecting data. At SIVA, a set of the hard copy data was then converted into digital database in Microsoft Excel spreadsheet format.  The effort in locating individual Monterey pines with the use of a Global Positioning System (GPS) began in March 2001. Due to tree canopies being closed, the ProXR unit of Trimble GPS with a laser rangefinder was used in locating latitude and longitude coordinates of the trees. SIVA registered the ID of the trees by locating existing tree tags. The volunteers placed tree tags with new ID numbers onto trees that did not have tree ID tags. The locations of both standing Monterey pines, and pine stumps on the ground were recorded using GPS and was completed in June 2001.
 
Imagery Data Collection
 
The CSUMB-SIVA has been making attempts to map pitch canker infestation of Monterey pines using remotely sensed data. For this effort, it is required that the imagery must have a very fine (high) resolution that could capture the brown (pitch canker infected) branches within the green tree canopies. Landsat 7 ETM+ imagery is available, but its resolution (30 meter per pixel) is too coarse and does not allow us to see individual tree crowns. In March 2001, color aerial photographs of ASP were acquired from AeroGraphics. The resolution of these air photos is 0.2 meter per pixel, but it was not economical to use aerial photos at this resolution for the entire peninsula region. For regional mapping project, SIVA purchased color infrared (CIR) aerial photos with one foot spatial resolution for the entire peninsula region where native Monterey Pines are located in May 2002. For this particular study, the CIR and color aerial photos were used for background images only.
 
Pitch Canker Infestation in Asilomar Forest:
A Spatial Distribution

GPSed tree stumps
 
Using the ArcGIS program, a series of visualization of spatial distribution of features
were made. We found that among all 3,076 GPS (Global Positioning System) locations ofpoints collected, 1,295 points were tree stumps, and the rest (1781) were standing trees.  The stumps represent approximately one-third of the total points. Trees in ASP have been removed for many other reasons beyond control of pitch canker (DP&R- Tree Hazard Reports, 1995-2000). There were many trees removed at and near the sites of buildings during construction.  When trees are downed or severely leaning after major storms, they are removed. Many dead trees were taken out after they became hazardous due to aging, diseases, and various kinds of root and trunk decays, breaking, and/or rot. The Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) Company also removed trees considered to be hazardous to nearby power lines (Figure 3).
 
 
Therefore, it could be misleading to consider ‘stumps’ as locations of trees removed due to pitch canker infestation. After cautiously examining the tree stump related information, the “stumps” were excluded from the list of candidate trees for our analysis.
 
Spatial Distribution of Study Trees
 
After we collected tree health condition data, and the GPS locations of trees were thoroughly examined for QA/QC, a total of 1,414 Monterey pines were selected for further spatial analysis (Figure 4).
 
 
Among the study trees, there were many dead treesyet to be removed. A total of 231 trees were categorized as ‘dead’, however, no verification attempt was made to confirm the cause of death as strictly by pitch canker. Observations made on the dead pines included whether they were (a) marked for removal, (b) still alive (~20 percent of the crown still green), (c) showing symptoms of bark beetle attack, (d) down/dead fall, (e) tall snags, (f) showing the presence of shelf fungi, (g) topped, (h) showing woodpecker action, and (i) only trunk remains. Most of the dead trees and remains had resins, pitch moths, and other symptoms of pitch canker infestation.  There were also many old, dead snags with no definitive pitch canker symptoms. The dead trees constitute about 16 percent of the total.  Pines that were observed to have 2 to 3 branches with drooping leaves, branch dieback, and/or 2 to 3 branches with flagging, were rated as an ‘initial infestation’. A total of 162 trees (a little over 11 percent) were found to be in the initial stages of infestation. When a surveyor observed 4 to 6 drooping branches, branch diebacks, 4 to 6 branches with flagging, resins, and/or 4-6 bole cankers on a tree, the severity level of that tree was rated as ‘moderate’. Another 348 trees (25 percent) were identified as moderately infested.
When more than 6 drooping or dead branches, diebacks, 6 to 10 flagging (again – clarify here), resins, and/or more than 6 bole cankers were observed on a tree, that tree was classified as having a ‘severe’ level of infestation. A higher number (651), or 46 percent of the study trees were found in ‘severe’ level. A very small number (23), or 1.6 percent of the total study trees had no symptoms, and were still green – they were identified as ‘healthy’ stage.  In summary, the pitch canker infestation severity level survey in ASP revealed the following:
 
Free of infestation - <2 percent
Initial infestation - 11 percent
Moderate infestation - 25 percent
Severe infestation - 46 percent
 
In other words, Monterey pines in Using the ArcGIS program, the spatial level is depicted in Figure 5.
 
 


Pitch Canker Hot Spots
 
Using the level of severity at each Monterey pine, a set of contours were drawn to locate places where pitch canker infestation hot spots occur (Figure 6). Figure 6 shows that the occurrence of higher level of severity (red contour lines) is found along the area nearest the ocean. This finding led us to examine a hypothesis raised by local area foresters (Frank Ono, et al. 2001).
 
 
Proximity to Oceanfront
 
During the panel session at the California Pitch Canker Conference 2001, the local area foresters expressed their strong belief that Monterey pines closer to the oceanfront suffered heavier pitch canker infestation compared to those located away from the oceanfront. To test the validity of their hypothesis, we created a polyline along the oceanfront of the Study Area, then created ‘buffer rings’ of 250-feet distances. The tally shows the following pattern (Figure 7).
 
 
 
Table 1 clearly indicates that Monterey pines throughout Asilomar State Park are severely infested by pitch canker. It also indicates the existence, and increase in numbers of trees with initial and moderate severity levels away from the ocean. The results, nevertheless, show the higher level of severity in the areas proximity to ocean front – the majority of trees with 500 feet of the ocean (65%) are classified as having a ‘severe’ level of infestation. It is possible that the sea breeze carrying moisture and fog from the ocean could have assisted in the maintenance and spread of the fungus in the areas within close proximity to the oceanfront.
 
Proximity to Major Roads
 
Another observation of the local foresters (Frank Ono. et al., 2001) was that pitch canker infestation appears to be more severe in proximity to major roads that also contain powerline corridors. As a test of this hypothesis, a section of Asilomar Avenue between the intersection of Sinex Avenue (in the north) and Sunset Drive (in the south) was selected for further study. This selected road section passes through the middle of ASP. 
 
With the use of ArcGIS, three buffer rings with a 200’ interval from the road were drawn.  A total of 732 study trees were found located within this area. The severity levels of study trees within each ring were then tallied.
 
The percentage of dead and severely infected trees is higher (43%) in the 200’ zone directly adjacent to Asilomar Avenue, and taper off towards the outer rings at 36% and 1% respectively. Among the moderately infested trees, infestation is slightly higher in the middle zone. Trees with an initial stage of infection were also greater in the zone (0’- 200’) adjacent to Asilomar Avenue (See Tables 2a and 2b).
 
 
 
A more detailed dispersion of pitch canker infestation is displayed in Figure 8. Overall, the infestation of 732 trees shows that 58% of them were in the dead and severe stage; 27% in the moderate infestation stage; and 13% in initial infestation stage.  Generally, the results of this study support the notion that a higher level of severity can be found in the zones adjacent to the busy road. It is conceivable that major roads with wider open space, and also car exhaust and tree disturbance (e.g. scarring, pruning, etc.)  are greatest near the road could have helped the air and fog carrying pitch canker fungus into the area proximal to major road ways.  But, it is important to note that the spatial distribution of pitch canker infested Monterey pines in ASP could also have been influenced by fragmentation of the forest by driveways, trails and paths, as well as the buildings. 


Proximity to Buildings
 
Given the fact that human activities can accelerate the spread of pitch canker, Takumi Shiraishi and Rebecca Mary Curd, GIS students at CSUMB-SIVA, conducted an analysis testing a hypothesis if trees adjacent to buildings were more severely affected by pitch canker. They collected (Latitude and Longitude) GPS locations of every roof corner of each building in order to approximate the shape and position of each building. Then they developed a ‘building’ polygon file for 55 buildings in the ASP. Using the ArcGIS program, they generated a dataset of “distance between trees and their closest buildings”.  The analysis used two variables: (a) distance between trees and their closest buildings, and (b) the pitch canker severity levels of the trees. The dependent variable was the severity of pitch canker, and the independent variable was the distance between trees and their closest buildings. The hypothesis is that the closer a tree is to a building, the more severe pitch canker infection becomes. 
 
The results of chi-square test and One-Way ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) showed no significant relationship. It appears that other factors such as nearness to the oceanfront, and nearness to the major roads may have more significant influence than closeness to the buildings.
 
Remote Sensing Approach to Map Pitch Canker Severity
 
There are many remote sensing technologies to map moisture-stressed vegetation available. However, it is a challenge to the researchers to select the most appropriate method in an environment where the funding is severely limited. At the SIVA Center, the available image processing/analysis tool in early 2000 was MicroImages’ TNTmips.  The imageries with higher resolution were hard to come by. In the public sector, the Landsat 7 (ETM +) is available but the resolution is low (30 meter per pixel). Since the goal is to map the dead brown branches assumed to be infected by pitch canker on the crowns of Monterey pines, it is necessary to use the imageries with a resolution of at least one foot. Since Color Infrared (CIR) imagery will allow us to distinguish the moisture stressed portions of the tree crowns, SIVA finally acquired one-foot resolution imageries by hiring a private company to make a special fly-over of the Monterey Peninsula area using a combined two-year budget of $10,000. The aerial photography was done on May 8, 2002 at 10 am at the altitude of 12,500 feet. The scale of the imagery is 1:24,000. The imagery was scanned at 2,000 dpi.
 
Using the available CIR and TNTmips image analysis tool, John Schweisinger, a student at CSUMB, conducted a study analyzing the randomly selected 84 Monterey pines in the ASP. He, in his Capstone Project study, tested which mathematical index had the greatest variance between severity classes among four different algorithms: the nominal difference vegetation index (NDVI), a vegetation stress (VS) index, the simple ratio (SR), and the simple compound (SC) of the red and near infrared channels. Then, the mean values of the 84 trees were compared using a one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with a Post Hoc Least Significant Difference (LSD) test to determine significant spectral differences. He concluded that the change in reflectance of the simple ratio (SR) and the NDVI indices showed the highest significant differences.
The Simple Ratio (SR) index had the largest difference in variance. Using the simple ratio (SR) index, Mr. Schweisinger mapped the rest of the Monterey pine forest in the Pacific Grove CIR image (See Figure 9).
 
 
Conclusion:
Monterey Pines in the Future at Asilomar State Park
 
It is needless to say that the Monterey pines are one of the most valuable assets to the
Asilomar State Beach & Conference Ground (ASP). This study has identified the state of the health of the Monterey pines in the Park as very bleak – 98 percent of the trees have been infected by pitch canker. Since no cure for this disease has been found yet, it is almost unthinkable that the 98 percent or all of the entire Monterey pine forest in the Park could be destroyed by the epidemic of pitch canker. None-the-least, the threat is real. The possibility of forest destruction doesn’t stop with the trees. It will have severe negative impact to the species such as the black legless lizard, the Monterey ornate shrew, the Pacific grove clover, and Hickman’s onion whose habitats are the Monterey pine forests.  Using the GIS data developed from this study, a series of maps were generated to depict a scenario of the landscapes at various future time frames at the ASP. The scenario was developed on the basis of hypothetical assumptions that the pitch canker infested Monterey pines would not survive, and that no forest management plan was established (See Figure 8).
 
 
 
The Inset Map 1 of Figure 10 shows all the location GPS points that were used to generate the maps followed. The points represent Monterey pines with different levels of pitch canker infestation, dead and dying trees, tree stumps, oak trees, Cypress pines, and other vegetation. All types of vegetation including the stumps were colored in green displaying how the vegetation cover could be like in the decades of years ago (Inset Map 2). At the time of the tree survey completed in early 2001, we know that a large number of trees had been removed. By coloring gray to the points representing tree stumps, the Inset Map 3 shows the vegetation landscape after the trees were removed. The Inset Map 4 shows how the landscape would be alike when the dead and dying trees are removed.  If the pitch canker infested trees would not survive, the severely infected trees will be dead and removed first. We don’t know he time frame yet, but the vegetation landscape would be significantly changed as displayed in the Inset Map 5. When the time of moderately and initially infected trees are dead, and consequently are removed, more vegetation will be thinned out as shown in the Inset Maps 6 and 7. The Inset Map 8 identified the types of vegetation of what will be left at that time.
 
It seems to be a scary thought. But, this scenario indicates the seriousness and urgency of development of a forest management plan for the future, and implementation of it.
 
Acknowledgement
First and foremost, the author owes his thanks to the State foresters of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) for their technical and financial support under CDF contract #000921-A. The author also thanks his project partner, Robert (Bob) Roach, the Assistant Agricultural Commissioner, and the Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office for their commitment and actions in supporting all project activities. The author’s thanks also go to State Park environmental specialists Jeff Fry and Lorrie Madison for their dedicated collaboration. The author also owes his thanks to Dr. Andrew Storer and Frank Ono for their time and efforts made in training volunteers. The author is indebted to the volunteers who helped collecting invaluable information about the health status of Monterey pines. Without the help and support of Dr. Rikk Kvitek, a member of CSUMB-ESSP faculty, his staff at the Seafloor Mapping Lab, and his students who took the pitch canker infestation as a part of their class projects, we wouldn’t be able to learn this much about the geospatial aspects of pitch canker dispersion. The author thanks John Schweisinger for taking this project as a Capstone project (an undergrad thesis). The author’s gratitude also goes to Dr. Jack Paris who’s left SIVA for Digital Globe, Inc., and Lee Johnson of NASA Ames for their project leadership. Last but not least, the author’s deepest appreciation goes to Dr. Lars Pierce, a member of CSUMB-ESSP faculty, for his review of and comment made on this report.
 

Reference
 
Bell & Howell Information Learning Company. Fungus threatens pines worldwide.  Volume 105. Issue 3, ISSN: 0002-8541.
 
Blakeslee, G.M. and D.L. Rockwood . 1978. Variations in resistance of slash pine to pitch canker caused by Fusarium moniliforme var. subglutinans. Phytopathol. News 12:207
 
Berry, C.R., and G.H. Hepting. 1959. Pitch Canker of southern pines. USDA For. Serv.
For. Pest Leafl. 35. 3 p.
 
Coffman, T. 1995. The Cambrian Forest: Reflects on it native pines and its eventful past.  Coastal Heritage Press. Cambria, California
 
Contrares, David . 2000. Assessing Pitch Canker Severity Levels Of Monterey Pines To
Asilomar Road And The Coastal Trail At Asilomar State Park. A GIS class project, SIVA
Center, CSUMB.
 
Correll, J.C., Gordon, T.R., McCain, A.H., Fox, J.W., Koehler, .S., Wood, D.L.and Schultz, M.E. 1991. Pitch anker in California: Pathogenecity, distribution, and canker development on Monterey Pine (Pinus radiata). Plant Dieses 75: 676-682.
 
Cylinder, Paul D. 1995. The Monterey Ecological Staircase and Subtypes of Monterey Pine Forest. FREMONTIA, Vol. 23, No. 1. pp. 7-13.
 
Dallara, Paul L., Gordon, Thomas R., Storer, Andrew J., and Wood, David L. (assessed March 23, 2000. http://frap.cdf.ca.gov/pitch_canker/cal_ag.htm) Pitch canker kills pines,
spreads to new species and regions, California Agriculture, Vol. 48, No. 6, 9-13.
 
Dallara, Paul L., Gordon, Thomas R., Storer, Andrew J., and Wood, David L., 1995.  Current Status of Pitch Canker Disease in California. Treenotes, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection: No. 20.
 
Deghi, Garry S., Terry Huffman, and James W. Culver. 1994. California’s native Monterey pine populations: Potential for sustainability. Fremontia Volume 23, No. 1
 
Department of Parks & Recreation (DP&R), 1995-2000. Tree Hazard Reports (Field Notes) at Asilomar State Beach & Conference Grounds. (unpublished)
 
Dwinell, L.D., E.G. Kuhlman, and G.M. Blakeslee. 1981. Pitch Canker of Southern Pines, p 188-194. Fusarium: Diseases, Biology, and Taxonomy (The Pennsylvania State University, 1981)
 
Dwinell, L.D., R.L. Ryan, and E.G. Kuhlman. 1977. Pitch canker of loblolly pine in seed
orchards, p. 130-137. In Proc. 14th South. For. Tree Improv. Conf. (Gainesville, Florida,
June 1977)
 
Fakir, G.A. 1973. Linear growth rate and morphology of four isolates of Fusarium lateritium f. pini
 
Deghi, Gary S., et al. 1995. California’s Native Monterey Pine Populations: Potential for Sustainability. FREMONTIA, Vol. 23, No.1. pp. 14-23.
 
Hepting, G.H., and E.R. Roth. 1946. Pitch Canker, a new disease of some southern pines. J. For. 44: 742-744.
 
Huffman and Associates, Inc. 1994. An evaluation of California’s native Monterey pine populations and the potential for sustainability.
 
Jones & Stokes Associates, Inc. 1994. Monterey Pine Forest Ecological Assessment: Historical Distribution, Ecology, and Current Status of Monterey Pine. Prepared for California Department of Fish & Game 
 
Jones & Stokes Associates. 1996. Monterey Pine Forest Conservation Strategy Report.
 
Jones & Stokes Associates, Inc. 1998. Forest Management Plan (Draft). May. (JSA 97- 399) Sacramento, CA. Prepared for Cal. Department of Parks & Recreation, Pacific Grove, CA.
 
Kleman, J. 1986. The spectral reflectance of stands of Norway spruce and Scotch pine, measured from a helicopter. Remote Sensing Environment. Pg. 253-265.
 
Lameka, Rebecca. 2001. Mapping the Spread of Pitch Canker Disease in Monterey County: A Case Study of Asilomar Park Reserve. A GIS Class Project. SIVA Center, CSUMB
 
Mathews, Mary Ann and Nicole Nedeff . 1995. California’s native Monterey Pine Forest: Can it be saved? FREMONTIA, Vol. 23, No.1. pp. 3-6.
 
McCain A.H., C.S. Koehler, and S.A. Tjosvold. 1987. Pitch Canker Threatens Califorina Pines. California Agriculture 41: 22-23.
 
New York Times Company. June 10, 1998. Headline: Fungus poses threat to Monterey Pines Wednesday, Late Edition-Final. Section A. page 18. Column 1, National Desk.
 
Offord, H.R. 1964. Diseases of Monterey pine in native stands of California and in plantations of western North America. (research Paper PSW-14.) U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station. Berkeley, CA. 
 
Ono, Frank, Robert Reid, Mike Branson, and Rob Cain. 2001. Coping with Pitch Canker Infested Pines in the Monterey Peninsula: A Panel Discussion at California Pitch Canker Conference. CSUMB Campus, August.
 
Pebble Beach Company Staff. 1999. Status of Pitch canker Research and Disease Management
 
Schmidt, R. A. and E. M. Underhill. 1974. Incidence and impact of pitch canker in slash pine plantations in Florida. Plant Disease Reporter 58: 451-454.
 
Schweisinger, John,  2004.  Color Infrared Aerial Photography (CIRs) be used to map the pine disease pitch canker?  A Capstone Project presented to ESSP, CSUMB.
 
Shiraishi, Takumi. 2002. Distribution Pattern of Pitch Canker in Asilomar State Park in California, USA. A GIS Class Project. SIVA Center, CSUMB.
 
Storer, Andrew J., et al. 1994. Pitch Canker kills pines, spreads to new species and regions. California Agriculture, Vol. 48, No. 6, pp. 9-13.
 
Storer, A.J., P.L. Dallara. 1992. Pitch canker disease in California. California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Tree Note no. 15.
 
Storer, A.J., Wood D.L., and T.R. Gordon. 2000. FAQs about pitch canker
Win, U., et al. 2001. Remote Sensing of Pitch Canker Infestation. A presentation at the California Pitch Canker Infestation Conference. The CSUMB Campus.
 
Win, U., et al. 2002. Pitch Canker Infestation at the Asilomar State Park: A Spatial Analysis. A presentation at the CNPS- Monterey Chapter Meeting. Pacific Grove Museum of Nature.
 
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Pitch Canker Studies Conducted  A Decade Ago
 (posted November 1, 2012)
 
During the decade (2002-2012), many computers have been crashed and many hard drives have been broken.  There went the original files of pitch canker studies with them too.  Luckily, I found a few presentation files with some activies on pitch canker studies at CSUMB-SIVA while browsing through tetrabytes of archived files.  Among a few that were recovered, there was only one PowerPoint presentation that was displayed at the Monterey County Chapter of California Native Plant Society in 2002.   The slides explain what the 2000-2001 pitch canker survey was about, results from data analysis at Asilomar forest, and plans for a study to identify pitch canker spread throughout Monterey Peninsula.  Now you can see them for yourself.  (Double click the images to enlarge them.)
 
 
 



   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 












 








 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTE:
 
o  Credits must be given in the use of images above.
o  The website (www.montereypitchcanker.com) does not exist anylonger. 
o  While study for the spread of pitch canker infestation throughout Monterey Peninsula was undergoing in 2003, the funding for the project through Department of Foretry was cut.  Without any funding, assisted by local foresters and volunteers, Dr. Win completed the field survey, and remote sensing analysis in 2004.  The poster maps of pitch canker infestation throughout Monterey Peninsula were prepared in 14 sections. 
 
 
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Student Projects on Pitch Canker Study



 
 A student, Rebecca MacEwen, attending GIS/GPS class at CSUMB took a GIS project on Monterey Pines pitch canker infestation study.  She developed a poster out of her project using maps and info together.  Her poster was awarded a first prize at 2002 Central Coast Joint Data Consortium's GIS Map Poster Contest for students.
 
 


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(posted Nov 6, 2012)
 
 
During her study on GIS/GPS, Becky Lumeca, a student of CSUMB, mapped the pitch canker infestations at Asilomar State Park.  (2000?)
 
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(Posted: Nov 13, 2012)
 
Sharon Sour of CSUMB's maps prepared for a GIS/GPS project at SIVA in 2000:
 
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Brise Tencer (May 2000):  Pitch Canker: Infestation and Distribution in Del Monte Foundation.  GIS/GPS Final Project, ESSP, CSUMB 
 
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(posted November 24, 2012)
The followings are presented by two students of Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS) who were studying GIS/GPS technology at CSUMB campus in 2002.  These students conducted GIS/GPS projects using the pitch canker survey database.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
    
 
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Reminder:

Foresters, arborists, Monterey pine watchers and those who care about Monterey pines, start following this blog from now on. More info on the activities happened in the past and new plans and actions will be posted here. Presently, we are in the process of scheduling a "pitch canker workshop" in early 2013.